Warm, like the heat from the sun

Convection heaters are so last century. It’s time we all moved into the new, sustainable, low energy era and adopt heating solutions that reflect this. Austrian based Redwell technologies have been pioneering infrared heating technology for over ten years, sell their products in 35 countries and have been established for the past five years in Spain.

Infrared heating technology actually dates back to the industrial revolution when the huge workhouses and shipyards in the UK needed a solution to the cold conditions for the workers. As infrared technology heats the objects in a room, not the air, large units were developed to be placed near where people were working. With the arrival of cheap oil, these kinds of energy efficient technologies became redundant and the convection heating of the modern era was born. However heating the air is not very efficient and creates other problems such as damp walls and the circulating of dust. Infrared works at a low wavelength and emits heat that is absorbed by the objects in the room – walls and furniture – which is then stored and released back into the room creating a warm, dry environment. People also absorb the infrared directly creating a nice cosy feeling that can also be good for health.

“The infrared systems that Redwell make can be up to 60% more efficient than conventional heating systems,” explained Svend Scharler, Redwell’s Spanish representative, based in Torrox. “However our systems are more of a complete concept for heating than simply picking up a new heater from a store.” This important distinction sets Redwell apart from many companies and the installation process often goes through a lengthy consultation with the client, from initial assessment of requirements to choosing the designs to the final installation. “The heaters come in a huge range of styles,” continued Svend. “You can have mirrors, pictures, your own pictures if you want, and now Redwell are even making furniture with the heaters built into them. This versatility allows the heaters to be part of the design of the rooms, not just a radiator stuck on the wall.” The detailed assessment is designed to make sure that not only does the client get the designs that he wants, but also that the right size of panels for the room are chosen to make sure that the system works optimally providing the right amount of heat required.

Although the units are more costly than many conventional heaters, Svend calculates that for a large house the installation would not cost more in the end and from the moment they are up and running they are using significantly less energy. “We had one client with a large villa in Marbella,” explained Svend. “The heating bill was up to 1000€ a month using oil heaters, and we replaced half with infrared as a trial. The next year he asked us to replace all his oil based heaters and now has a heating bill of 400€ a month.” There are other advantages too as Marlene, Svend’s partner points out: “Bear in mind that infrared technology has medical applications through heat lamps. Although not developed with an infrared wavelength for medical purposes, the heaters can still be beneficial to health, and the fact that they create a dry heat also helps."